Bill Walczak questions Caesars’ commitment

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Mayoral candidate Bill Walczak has made opposition to a Suffolk Downs casino a key part of his platform.

Mayoral candidate Bill Walczak, who has made opposition to a Suffolk Downs casino a key part of his platform, blasted the track’s casino partner, Caesars Entertainment, on Tuesday over the company’s “heavy debt load of $24 billion.”

“Caesars’ situation is so dire that The Wall Street Journal characterized Caesars as having an unsustainable debt load that has brought its shares near junk status,” the campaign said in a statement.

Walczak questioned whether Caesars will honor the terms of the host agreement the developers have signed with the City of Boston, which promises the city payments of at least $32 million per year.

“Boston is being sold a bill of goods by a company that is in real financial trouble,” Walczak said in the statement. “With no real enforcement mechanism in place for all that is outlined in the host community agreement, Caesars can just decide to not fulfill its promises.”

Caesars is a minority partner in the development, holding about a 4 percent stake in the project. If Suffolk Downs wins the sole Greater Boston resort casino license, Caesars would be paid a fee to run the gambling resort. Residents in East Boston and Revere are expected to vote Nov. 5 — the same day as the election for Boston mayor — whether to allow the casino proposal to proceed to the final stage of the competition.

A Caesars spokesman said in response that the company has nearly $2 billion in cash on its balance sheet, has recently completed several development projects, and has more underway.

— MARK ARSENAULT

In new TV ad, Golar Richie is backed by Oscar winner

Charlotte Golar Richie’s campaign rolled out its second television ad on Tuesday, one week before Election Day.

The 31-second spot features Oscar-winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. urging voters to cast their ballots for the former state representative and neighborhood development chief.

The ad switches between photos of Golar Richie mingling with voters out on the trail and Gossett talking directly to the camera.

“For the past 20 years, I have worked toward defeating racism of all kinds while developing a culture of equality and enrichment for all members of our society,” he says. “As a candidate for mayor, Charlotte Golar Richie represents an agenda of openness, equality, and opportunity for all.”

Golar Richie asked her supporters in an e-mail to spread the word about the commercial, “to make sure we get our ad out far and wide.”

— AKILAH JOHNSON

Ross becomes third hopeful to air a campaign jingle

City Councilor Mike Ross has jumped into the mayoral jingle game. Ross unveiled “Mike Ross for Boston,” a song written and performed by Vincent King.

“When I found out Mike was running, I wanted to support him. I don’t have much money, but what I can do is what I do well, which is music,” King said in a statement announcing the jingle.

The soft R&B tune is the third mayoral song of the campaign. TOUCH 106.1 FM founder Charles Clemons was the first to release a campaign song when he rolled out “Vote for Brother Charles” early in the campaign.

City Councilor Rob Consalvo was next, when he teamed with Dorchester’s MAESTRO Z.O.O.M. for “Starts with a Spark.”

According to the campaign, Ross met King when the artist was working on “The Boston Song — So Good,” which is being featured in Ford commercials. The opening verse of King’s song for Ross says:

Mayor Menino is moving on. We need a leader who we can trust.

Who runs for Boston. Who can be tough (and fair).

Community building that will work for us.

Education, gotta be priority

A smarter Boston is what we need.

Who can go the distance? Who can be the one?

Mike Ross for Boston. Mike Ross.

“I hope they listen to the lyrics and take a serious look. If they’re not convinced Mike Ross is the best candidate, I hope they listen to it and decide to take a serious look at what he’ll do and his plans,” King said.

— WESLEY LOWERY

Walczak finance plan targets growing income gap

Bill Walczak is calling for stronger ties between Boston neighborhoods and the business community to close the city’s growing income inequality gap. In his new economic plan, Walczak, former head of the Codman Square Health Center, said his proposal will expand innovation in the city, curb the influences of poverty, and create a route for prosperity in every neighborhood.

“Boston is poised to drive the 21st-century economy,” Walczak said in a statement. “However, we will only move forward as a world-class city when opportunities and good jobs are accessible in every Boston neighborhood.”

Walczak, who has been calling for the creation of innovation districts in East Boston, Allston, and Roxbury, said that if elected mayor he would seek to bolster Boston’s growing economy by collaborating with local innovators and the city’s cultural institutions.

His campaign is also urging more early childhood education opportunities, increased vocational and employment training, and additional career pathways for Boston students.